German Patent Application No. DE 100 54 013 B4 relates to a pressure sensor module. This includes at least one module housing having a connecting piece in which an opening is situated for a medium that is to be measured. The pressure sensor module furthermore includes a pressure sensor, that is situated in a sensor housing, that is developed to be provided with a sensor housing opening and separately from the module housing, and is protected by a cover mounted on the pressure sensor in the sensor housing. The sensor housing lies in a recess of the module housing, at least partially against the module housing and is held in the recess by a plastic extrusion coating or a sealing compound. A part of the sensor housing surrounding the sensor housing opening lies against the module housing, so that the sensor housing opening completely encloses the opening of the connecting piece. The plastic extrusion coating or the sealing compound completely encloses the sensor housing in the recess except for the part of the sensor housing lying against the motor housing and the sensor housing opening.
German Patent Application No. DE 10 2004 012 593 A1 relates to a sensor module. The sensor module is especially a pressure sensor module having a sensor housing, which has a housing part having electrical conductors partially embedded in it. In the sensor housing, a first inner chamber is developed in which a sensor device is situated, and a second inner chamber is provided that is sealed from the first inner chamber. In the latter, there is at least one capacitor. In the first inner chamber there is an accommodation part having an accommodation formed by a surrounding wall, into which the sensor device is set, and is covered by a protective cover that is filled into the accommodation. The sensor device is contacted to electrical connecting elements situated at the accommodation part. The connecting elements are directly connected to connecting sections of the electrical conductors. The at least one capacitor situated in the second inner chamber is connected via an electrically conductive material to at least one of the electrical conductors.
For reasons of interference immunity (electromagnetic compatibility) and the resistance to electrostatic discharges (ESD), capacitors are required for sensors, for protection of the micromechanical silicon pressure measurement chips having an evaluation circuit. The silicon pressure measurement chips are usually designated as Si chips. One possibility is to integrate these capacitors into the Si chip. This requires, for one thing, a greater expenditure for chip surface, and thereby increases production costs of the chip, and for another thing, the integrated EMC capacitors usually do not fulfill the requirements with respect to the electrostatic discharges (ESD requirements), or do so only inadequately.
Therefore, in most cases, only the possibility remains of inserting the capacitors externally, that is, separately from the Si chip. These capacitors are generally inserted in the same chamber, that has pressure applied to it, as the Si chip, such as on the circuit carrier (hybrid, printed circuit board) or the lead frame. The last-named possibility has some disadvantages, such as the construction being less inflexible, since the capacitors cannot be placed at any optional place. This has the result, in turn, that the distance between the Si chip and the capacitors cannot be decreased at will, which is necessary, however, for optimizing the electromagnetic compatibility.